The college football regular season will wrap up with Week 13 this weekend with rivalry games. While a handful of teams will walk off the field for the last time this year, there are still a number of contenders that have everything to play for – including the ranked teams looking to secure one more big statement win before the conference championships, bowl games and playoffs. Those teams will also have to be careful not to stumble with the potential for heartbreak. Here is a look at the top four ranked teams on upset alert for Week 13 of the college football season.
No. 4 Iowa Must Tread Carefully At Nebraska
The team currently holding down a playoff spot that has been debated the most is Iowa and for good reason. Yes, they have a perfect record but they haven’t had a difficult schedule. The Hawkeyes are 11-0 following a lopsided win over Purdue but their lone victories over ranked opponents is a close 10-6 win over Wisconsin and a 40-10 blowout win over Northwestern. The pressure will be on them this weekend as they make the trip to Nebraska to clash with a Cornhuskers’ side that is coming off a pair of impressive wins over Michigan State and Rutgers, and clearly cannot be overlooked. Look for Nebraska to give Iowa all that it can handle with legitimate upset potential at home in this showdown.
No. 8 Ohio State Faces Harbaugh’s Michigan
Ohio State’s first loss since Week 1 of last season brought their dreams of repeating as national champions crumbling down. The biggest question now is how will this team respond from what they just went through? The Buckeyes were absolutely devastated by their collapse against Michigan State and things won’t get any easier on the road against a rival Wolverines’ side that has had this game circled on their calendar all season. The Big House will be rocking on Saturday afternoon and depending on how they respond, Ohio State could be in line for another upset loss against a Michigan team. The Wolverines have overachieved in Jim Harbaugh’s first season and that’s bad news for an Ohio State side that comes in with their heads drooping.
No. 14 North Carolina Can’t Trip Up At N.C. State
The fact that some in the media have actually asked about North Carolina’s stock as a potential playoff team is almost laughable. While they deserve credit for what they have accomplished in the ACC season, they barely survived to pull out a 30-27 win over Virginia Tech last week and it won’t get any easier for them when they visit North Carolina State this weekend. The Tar Heels have been an excellent story this season but that doesn’t necessarily mean they are as good as their record indicates. We’ll find out more when they face Clemson in the ACC Championship…assuming they get there. A lot of people are making that assumption and are already starting to wonder if they’ll be a handful for the No. 1 Tigers. However, first the Tar Heels will have to get past the Wolfpack on the road this week. The Wolfpack are just 3-4 in their last seven but they’ve been decent at home this year. Jacoby Brissett is a capable quarterback that could help spring this upset.
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No. 18 Ole Miss Gets Stiff Test In Egg Bowl
The Rebels are the first team since 1998 to beat Alabama, LSU and Auburn in the same season and the fact that it won’t be enough to get them in to the playoff is pretty incredible. The reality is that while Ole Miss has gotten up for some big games this year, they have also let winnable matchups slip away. That includes losses at Memphis and at home to Arkansas. There is obvious reason to believe they could be vulnerable again this weekend versus Mississippi State. The Bulldogs have beaten every opponent on their schedule that isn’t the Tide, Tigers or Aggies, and they will throw everything they have at the Rebels a chance to leapfrog their rivals in the SEC West at home.
